To wonder if WFH will regenerate affordable parts of the UK

[notanothertakeaway]

Currently on holiday in a part of the UK where housing is relatively cheap eg £65K for a flat, £130K for a small house

The area feels a bit down on its luck, but scenery is good, lots of mountain biking nearby, and within 2 hours of 2 large cities. I wonder if, going forward, a shift to more people WFH could turn it round. If you had to work in an office 2 days per week, you could have an early start on Monday, stay in Travelodge / Premier Inn on Mon night, late home on Tuesday night. I would love to think this might help to regenerate the countryside. What do you think?

I think it’s a possibility, although also depends on excellent internet

No idea if it will happen but it’s possible. Only thing against it will be most people I know moving to wfh are relatively well paid so it’s more likely they’ll go to well established countryside/costal areas you’ll see the prices there rise significantly

Sure hope so!

Potentially yes however does very much depend on what area… based on those prices I’d guess north west?

No idea, but it sounds perfect. If you can afford a decent house there and can work from home as per your posting, then I'd go for it.

I have wondered about this, and after decades of failed attempts at decentralisation I genuinely think this could be the thing that brings employment and money to areas that lack these.

Obviously it depends on people being able to WFH permanently, so we'll have to see how that goes.

I was wondering this when we went into lockdown. We live in a nice area of a deprived town. House prices are low, on the coast, near lovely countryside, wfm here would be great here. And no need to be in London etc. I really hope it becomes more normal.

By "regenerate the countryside" it sounds like you mean "push house prices up" because they'll be being bought by people with salaries so high that going to work in a city for those two days makes staying in a hotel overnight worth it Some areas of the UK are more affordable because poor people live there. People who don't have much spare cash to spend in the shops, so the shops close down. Once you've "regenerated" everywhere, where are those people supposed to go now that so much social housing has been sold off?

Some areas of the UK are more affordable because poor people live there. People who don't have much spare cash to spend in the shops, so the shops close down. Once you've "regenerated" everywhere, where are those people supposed to go now that so much social housing has been sold off?

This is it. Some areas are shuttered, quiet, and dull because the locals don't really have spare shopping and entertainment cash. Town centres need people to move there who do, but then house prices will go up.

Lovely buzzing places to live don't stay affordable. Stamford, Lincolnshire is a great example.

Hmm I doubt it. If you are looking to buy a house with a low budget, and willing to buy in a run-down area in order to do that, you are presumably going to be in a job that doesn't pay that much, and therefore less likely to be working from home. If you are in a better paying role you're probably going to want to be in a nicer area.
For younger people trying to get on the ladder they will probably want to be closer to an area with more going on, even if they can't afford to buy as quickly / as big a place. Also there's a lot of evidence that WFH earlier on in your career can be damaging to your prospects & progression - I think people in their twenties who are trying to climb the ladder are more likely to want to be in the office more than two days a week, if not straight away, certainly in a year or so.

As other posters have suggested, people with well paid WFH jobs - or lots of equity from selling a small property elsewhere - moving to a currently cheap area will do very little other than push prices up and price local people, with local low wages, out of the property market.

I come from a different perspective. I live in a small town that's a 45 minute drive to a larger one. Our area is known for bein a poorer area with no mnay jobs but that means house prices were relatively lower. Since the pandemic house prices have shot up, mainly due to an influx of people able to buy a much larger home here for a smaller price from people who live in the larger city and wfh and earn more. Local people have been. Priced out, its done nothing to regenerate the area and the people who bought houses her are now aghast after realising its a bit of a crap hole.

I really hope so. It doesn’t have to be people from high cost areas - it can be people from mid or low priced areas looking for different things in other areas. That in turn brings more money into an economy and further investment. Island communities in particular have been dwindling - it would be amazing if people from other areas could grow these communities and create new jobs and sustainable economies.

@Francescaisstressed

I come from a different perspective. I live in a small town that's a 45 minute drive to a larger one. Our area is known for bein a poorer area with no mnay jobs but that means house prices were relatively lower. Since the pandemic house prices have shot up, mainly due to an influx of people able to buy a much larger home here for a smaller price from people who live in the larger city and wfh and earn more. Local people have been. Priced out, its done nothing to regenerate the area and the people who bought houses her are now aghast after realising its a bit of a crap hole.

Yeah. I have lived in my SW market town since 2008 - commutable to Bristol, which got stupidly expensive, and London at a push (once a week maybe). House prices have increased 30%. There really is not much here other than a cinema complex and the usual Boots/Superdrug/Clarks/Body Shop chains.

Sounds very similar to my situation. The new people are detested and the house prices mean local people are being pushed to the worst areas of town and on the outskirts.

@WildPoinsettia

By "regenerate the countryside" it sounds like you mean "push house prices up" because they'll be being bought by people with salaries so high that going to work in a city for those two days makes staying in a hotel overnight worth it Some areas of the UK are more affordable because poor people live there. People who don't have much spare cash to spend in the shops, so the shops close down. Once you've "regenerated" everywhere, where are those people supposed to go now that so much social housing has been sold off?

Quite! The prices would rise and then what happens to those of us without the income to afford higher priced houses and rents?

Does anyone really move to a rundown area just because the scenery is nice and house prices are low(er) ? As a middle aged woman with kids my criteria are good schools, good local transport (for the kids to be semi-independent) and good facilities for teens. When I was younger it was access to quality entertainment and shopping and distance to an airport. Maybe when I retire it will be house prices and nice scenery (if there are decent medical facilities nearby).

I’m think if it’s within 2 hours of 2 major cities then people who could commute probably already do. WFH is not completely a new thing, and certainly they would have moved there in the last 2 years even if not before.

Does anyone really move to a rundown area just because the scenery is nice and house prices are low(er)?

They do, but not as individuals. Londoners moved to Frome in Somerset, first in trickles, then in droves when they discovered Babington House.

It might mean the next lot of younger people don't have to chose between a career and staying in their home towns.

Anything that rebalances the economy away from London will see house prices go up outside London.

If people move to (eg) North Wales then they’ll spend money in local shops, get their hair cut locally, send their kids to the local school. It’s not a zero sum game where incomers only make things worse - and anyway it’s not just about incomers. It’s also about locals not being forced to leave North Wales to get a job. The hope would be yhat councils could use the stronger tax base to build more social housing.

It’s also (back of t’envelope speculation here) terrible news for the Tories. Most important single fact in UK politics is that the older you are the more likely you are to be a Tory (and a Brexiteer). The Tories win red wall seats because they’re trending old, and they’re trending old because the young had to leave to find jobs. So Labour rack up massive and pointless majorities in cities and Tories get efficient little majorities in the North. It wouldn’t take that many young or young-ish people moving back out of cities to upset that applecart.

@WildPoinsettia @Thesearmsofmine @Francescaisstressed

Thanks for your comments. Where we're staying, the local food processing plant closed a few years ago. I think they may have been a big local employer. I guess I was hoping that more people WFH might benefit everyone eg new residents with a disposable income = new customers for shops, cafes etc = higher wages / keeps shops open etc. I wouldn't like to think of local people being priced out.

It would be nice to have a rebalance of people across the country instead of concentrating in commuter hubs.

Better yet, people who wfh could use the local amenities more. I certainly pop into my town centre more when I’m at home compared to when I had to work. Then I’d only go in at the weekend if that.

@orinocosfavoritecake

Anything that rebalances the economy away from London will see house prices go up outside London.

If people move to (eg) North Wales then they’ll spend money in local shops, get their hair cut locally, send their kids to the local school. It’s not a zero sum game where incomers only make things worse - and anyway it’s not just about incomers. It’s also about locals not being forced to leave North Wales to get a job. The hope would be yhat councils could use the stronger tax base to build more social housing.

It’s also (back of t’envelope speculation here) terrible news for the Tories. Most important single fact in UK politics is that the older you are the more likely you are to be a Tory (and a Brexiteer). The Tories win red wall seats because they’re trending old, and they’re trending old because the young had to leave to find jobs. So Labour rack up massive and pointless majorities in cities and Tories get efficient little majorities in the North. It wouldn’t take that many young or young-ish people moving back out of cities to upset that applecart.

@orinocosfavoritecake yes, good point that new residents is very different from additional tourists in high season. New residents use local facilities eg schools, libraries, GP etc and help to keep communities going

I really really hope so, I live in the SE in a particularly expensive town. A 2 bed house is £200k at the very cheapest with most being around £260k. There is just no hope of us buying here really, at least not for a long time.

I have a job that I could do anywhere so would absolutely love to move somewhere cheaper. I do love the town I live in but it is just too expensive and I would like to be able to prioritise buying a house. We haven't yet though had confirmation of what our working pattern will be in terms of a WFH/WOH split.